Google Turns to HTML 5 to Solve Offline Mobile Woes

Offline Gmail has proved a hit with fans of the web-based interface, but what about the mobile Gmail web app? Gmail on the iPhone, for instance, has no offline capabilities. It's a shortcoming Google is well aware of, and to solve it Google is turning to the next generation of the web's lingua franca, HTML 5.

Google VP of engineering Vic Gundotra recently demonstrated a new, private version of Gmail that uses the offline storage tools coming in HTML 5. These tools offer offline access to Gmail through the service's mobile interface on both the iPhone and Android platforms.

The demoed version of Gmail on the iPhone also showed new support for labels and a floating toolbar that follows your finger as you scroll down the page.